Houston v. Philadelphia – Breakdown

Tally Hall has settled in over his first season as the starter for the Dynamo replacing Pat Onstad. Mondragon though has organized the Union back line all year and has played in several big games in his career. While Hall might be a marginally better shot stopper right now, the experience of Mondragon gives him the ultimate edge.

Califf and Valdes may not be the quickest central defenders in the league, but are more than capable of battling what will likely be a physical Houston forward line. Williams can be dangerous out of the back contributing to the attack and Farfan has been solid for the Union.

Houston’s defense has been much improved with the return of Geoff Cameron to central defense. However, Cameron is still relatively inexperienced as a center back. Boswell and Hainault are beasts in the air both offensively and defensively, but Philadelphia prefers to play the ball on the ground and the Union’s team speed should cause problems for both. Corey Ashe has improved on the left side as the year has progressed.

Houston has played the same three starters over their last six games to a 4-0-2 record and that group includes one of the league’s best midfielders in 2011. The only decision will be whether Dominic Kinnear will choose the naturally right-sided Cruz or to play the left-footed Clark who has performed ok out of position on the right at times. The key to Houston’s success against Philadelphia may be whether Camargo can punish the Union if Brian Carroll slides outside to provide additional cover against Brad Davis.

Brian Carroll is a battle tested veteran who has seen it all in this league. Michael Farfan may be the only other likely starter out of Philadelphia’s remaining midfield options. After that, Justin Mapp would typically start, but has had some injury problems and is questionable for the first leg. The final midfielder usually consists of the more offensive Freddy Adu or Roger Torres or the more defensive Amobi Okugo. With the onus on the Union to attack in the first leg, one would think Okugo would start on the bench.

While Veljko Paunovic may be available for the return leg, the first leg will likely see MVP candidate Le Toux next to Mwanga. Le Toux’s 11 Goals and 9 assists should provide more than enough evidence of his importance to the Union attack. Mwanga has returned from injury only two games ago, so he might not be ninety-minutes match fit.

Carlo Costly and Brian Ching have each played in more than their fair share of big games. However, forward Calen Carr has started in Houston’s last two matches, both victories. No Houston forward other than Ching has stood out over the entire season and truly claimed the final starting spot. Ching has scored more than his fair share of huge postseason goals in his career, but can that continue against the Union?

EDGE: Big Edge Philadelphia

Bench:

One of Adu or Torres will likely provide a creative spark off the bench. Forward Jack McInerney scored against the Dynamo in August and was dangerous throughout the match. Philadelphia may be a little thin on defensive options off the bench though.

Houston has firepower on the bench in Will Bruin and Costly/Carr. Taylor may be the best defensive option off the bench for either team. Creatively Houston may be a little lacking with only Clark/Cruz, but will likely change tactics (moving Geoff Cameron into attack) as a way to mix things up late.

EDGE: Slight Edge Houston

Coaches: Peter Nowak v. Dominic Kinnear

Two experienced coaches who have both been here before and led their team to championships. It’s hard to imagine either manager making a huge difference in the final outcome. However, the onus may fall on Nowak and his squad to strike first at home and if his team comes out too defensively, that may be a mistake.

EDGE: Push

Intangibles:

Houston gets to host the return leg and that provides a clear advantage for the Dynamo especially with their impressive form at Robertson. However, Houston may also be prone the occasional reckless foul (Andre Hainault and Danny Cruz , in particular). With Justin Mapp and Veljko Paunovic late fitness questions, and Danny Mwanga slowly returning from injury himself, Houston also enters the game much healthier and with plenty of momentum.

EDGE: Houston

Agree or Disagree on any of the head to head match ups? Thoughts on the playoff series?